MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) The Ministers for European Affairs of the EU have met in Brussels to discuss joint efforts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and express support to the common interests of all 27 members of the bloc over Brexit, French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune said on Tuesday.
"1st "General Affairs" Council, with two key objectives: strongly support our [EU chief Brexit] negotiator @MichelBarnier and our interests on Brexit, harmonizing our health criteria in the face of #Covid_19," Beaune wrote on Twitter.
The EU-UK talks on the post-Brexit deal have seen a deadlock after London announced it seeks to override some parts of the withdrawal agreement with Brussels, including the controversial Internal Market Bill that would allow the UK to roll back some of the commitments on state aid and customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom left the EU bloc in January with the keeping of the trade terms of the latter. They will be replaced by the World Trade Organization's rules for both parties in 2021 if no deal is reached until December 31, when the so-called transition period expires. The new rules will include customs tariffs and full border checks for UK goods entering the European area.
As for the COVID-19 epidemic, in March, the EU nations closed borders with each other to prevent the spread of the coronavirus within the Schengen area. It led to the collapse of travel traffic and deepened the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, France is among other EU countries dealing with the sharp resurgence in COVID-19 cases and fearing the second wave of the virus. Others include Spain, Poland and the Netherlands.
